Intensity
by Sievert Dinar
Summary: The life of a senshi over many years....
1. Intensity part 1

INTENSITY (Part 1) by Sievert Dinar  
  
  
Disclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by a lot of people, most of whom  
are not me, so don't get all worked up about my using the characters  
in ways they weren't meant. I'm just a common or garden fanfic  
writer without a hope in this dark and cruel world. Maybe.  
  
  
  
RECORDING K2777-320A  
  
SUBJECT NAME: KRISTEN ANGELIKA KIRSCHE  
  
AGE: 17+325 (DEFINITION NOMINAL)  
  
SEX: FEMALE  
  
HEIGHT: 5'8''  
  
HAIR: BLACK  
  
EYES: GREEN  
  
COMPLEXION: PALE  
  
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: DIAMANT BAVARIA (FORMERLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF  
GERMANY)  
  
HISTORY: Emigrated to Crystal Tokyo at the age of 16 upon the death  
of her parents during the bombings of her hometown by the 7th Air  
Force of the Darkness, she applied, and was granted, a position  
within the clerical division of Crystal Tokyo's military. Scouted  
by Senshi Venus as someone with Senshi powers, she was trained in  
the use of these powers by Senshi Mars and served as part of the  
15th A Division in the Noctis Labyrinthus on the planet Mars.  
  
She survived that horrific campaign with much to her own credit, and  
was promoted as Squad Leader of the 15th A 7th, which carried on the  
Martian war against the Darkness during the battles against the  
Shieldrunners on Olympus Mons and the Tharsis Montes, eventually  
leading the war-winning attack on the Darkness base in the Northern  
Polar Ice Cap, thus pushing the front back past the moons of Jupiter  
to the frontier of Chiron.  
  
Upon the conclusion of this campaign, she was purified and given  
official Senshi status, becoming the thirtieth Senshi to be admitted  
into the Inner Circle, under the title of Senshi Fomalcaut. She  
lead the campaign against the Darkness on Iapetus, Rhea and Dione,  
forcing the Darkness back into the strongholds of Titan and  
Enceladus. Upon Enceladus, she was captured by the Darkness General  
Almion and subjected to extreme physical and psychological torture  
and interrogation. It is not known whether she was subject to any  
sexual intimidation or abuse. She has not admitted to such at any  
time since.  
  
Rescued in an attack on the Enceladus base, she bore witness to the  
most brutal battle in the entire war against the Darkness. The  
slaughter of hundreds of thousands in a fight that degenerated into  
a hand to hand struggle for life on the cold ice moon. Using her  
skills of organisation and tactical awareness, she aided the General  
in ending the battle by backing the surviving members of the  
Darkness Army into the Schrephold Basin and forcing them to undergo  
purification.  
  
This was the final battle in which she took part. Promoted to the  
position of General, she returned to the safety of the Palace,  
becoming its leading tactician during the remainder of the war.  
Eventually, promoted to the position of Field Marshal, she retired  
completely from the war, taking a place as one of the Princess's  
mentors, lecturing her in world history.  
  
During one of these lectures, she suffered a form of seizure,  
becoming completely fugue and catatonic. She has since been cared  
for by Senshi Venus and the Department of Social Welfare and  
Conditioning. Her condition has not improved.  
  
  
DIAGNOSIS: TRAUMA-INDUCED CATATONIA, RELATED TO POST TRAUMATIC  
STRESS DISORDER.  
  
TREATMENT: UNDER CONSIDERATION.  
  
  
  
  
Crystal Tokyo, District 179, Karo Walk leadway to 179-183  
Gate. Small semi-detached unit, sitting on the leadway, overlooking  
a small, enclosed park area on the other side, as well as lines A, B  
and G of the CT Metro service, running twenty meters over the  
leadway. The unit sits against the 179/183 district wall.  
  
Kristen Kirsche probably never thought her life would lead her  
to such a lonely, seemingly abandoned section of the 179 district.  
That was, if she actually thought anything of it.  
  
She knelt on the futon, facing the small Japanese table. Her  
careworkers had groomed her to the best of their ability. Washing  
her down with a bowl and towel, dressing her in the attractive red  
and black yukata, combing down her long, straight black hair... All  
the time talking to her, giving gestures of comfortable and  
comforting social chatter, telling her of events and affairs going  
on within the walls of the Palace. Eventually serving her a light  
lunch which she ate with an almost mechanical detachment.  
Eventually, they left her, promising to return later that night.  
She did not move from the place they had left her.  
  
Her gaze cast through the front window of the unit at the park  
beyond, darkening with the encroaching dusk. Light from within the  
windows of the passing trains, shimmered through the thin vertical  
blinds, rippling across her unmoving face, creating the false  
impression of tears running from those sightless eyes.  
  
  
"Sensei?" She could hear the voice. The voice of the  
Princess... Of the Small Lady... "Sensei, are you alright?"  
  
"I'll be fine." Her own voice. "Your sensei is not feeling  
quite well today."  
  
"Your eyes are strange." The Princess replied. "You're  
always staring off into space. Are you sure you're alright?"  
  
"I..." She paused. Her lips were moving to the words. "I  
think... I can hear Toki's voice... She's calling to me..."  
Another pause. The Princess had her by her shoulders.  
  
"Please, Sensei... Stop it. You're scaring me."  
  
"I'm sorry, Small Lady. I'm... I'm..."  
  
"Sensei? Sensei?!?! SENSEIIIIIII!!!!!"  
  
  
Kristen's right hand twitched, and her eyes moved, staring at  
those errant fingers, seeing for the first time in a very long time.  
Her lips moved, voicing words that were silent, even to her own  
ears, but not to her mind.  
  
There was a noise as the front door was unlocked and opened,  
the two young women who were her careworkers stepping through,  
smiling at her. "Tadaima." The first said, carrying a bag full of  
goodies into the small kitchen area at the back of the main room.  
The second switched on the light and stepped over to Kristen.  
  
"How are we? Have you been good whilst we were out?" She  
smiled. Kristen's eyes turned to her, shocking the girl out of her  
smile. "Reiko...."  
  
"What?" The first careworker turned as she placed the bag on  
the dividing counter.  
  
"She looked at me...."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
The first careworker left the bag, moving up alongside her  
partner. They both studied Kristen with fascination as she mouthed  
silent words to them. "What is she trying to say?" The second  
careworker knelt down beside her, taking her left hand and holding  
it, tightly.  
  
The first concentrated on Kristen's lips, forming something  
of an understanding on what Kristen was trying to say. "She....  
She's trying to say...."  
  
"What? What?" The second asked, excitedly. The first looked  
at her with a sense of disappointment.  
  
"She wants to go to the toilet."  
  
  
The End of Part One  
  
  
  
Sievert Anathea Dienar sievertd@start.com.au 


	2. Intensity part 2

INTENSITY (Part 2) by Sievert Dinar  
  
  
Disclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by a lot of people, most of whom  
are not me, so don't get all worked up about my using the characters  
in ways they weren't meant. I'm just a common or garden fanfic  
writer without a hope in this dark and cruel world. Maybe.  
  
  
  
THREE YEARS AGO....  
  
  
"Eleni...." Kristen mumbled softly as she leant over the  
railing of the Royal Transport. Below she could see the growing  
Martian capital of Tharsis Basilica, its tiny little organic-looking  
dwellings rolling underneath as if on a conveyor belt. It was so  
hypnotic that it came as a shock when some relief in the landscape  
rolled by, usually in the form of the slurry canals, a system  
devised the extract water from the permafrost within the Martian  
soils.  
  
"Hmm?" Came the voice from the tan-skinned Senshi standing  
next to her, with an equivalent softness that Kristen found  
difficult to hear. Kristen turned to Eleni Kostakidas, studying  
the distant stare of her friend.  
  
"Do you believe in the afterlife?" Kristen's question  
naturally roused Eleni from her musings.  
  
"Hmm? The afterlife?"  
  
"That is what I asked." Kristen turned back to the view as  
the Western Battalion's tower rushed by. Several Senshi, manning  
the tower, waved at the transport, obviously not recognising the  
presence of two superior officers. Both Kristen and Eleni waved  
back, happy for the distraction. "The troops are pretty informal,  
these days."  
  
"Comes with not having to face the enemy. Nine out of ten  
recruits, these days, don't get to see action." Eleni turned back  
to Kristen. "Anyways. What brought up the subject of the  
afterlife?"  
  
Kristen looked evasive. "Nothing. It's nothing, really...."  
Eleni rolled her eyes.  
  
"Oh come ON, Kristen.... You NEVER start in a philosophical  
tone unless there is something on your mind. It's in your genes,  
for Serenity's sake." Kristen winced. What Eleni said was true....  
She had been a very cold and rigid character during her long  
lifetime. She didn't make friends easily, mostly because she'd  
always had such strict guidelines about what divided friends and  
mere acquaintances.  
  
And she had taken to the rest of her life with the same sense  
of overorganisation. It was what had made her such an ideal  
commander and tactician within the army of Crystal Tokyo. But it  
had also left her with a reputation for being fairly unsympathetic  
towards the more romantic aspects of what she was part of. So much  
so that it would come as a surprise to others when she DID start to  
become reflective.  
  
"I'm sorry..." Kristen mumbled. "I guess it's old age  
finally catching up with me." She paused, thinking. "I was  
wondering what Fariah and Kimiko would think of Mars, today, if they  
were around to see it."  
  
Eleni bit her lip, gently placing a hand on Kristen's  
shoulder. "Do you miss them that much?" Kristen didn't turn to  
her, nor did she answer... immediately.  
  
"Perhaps... I've been feeling strange, ever since Enceladus.  
Ever since I was promoted to the position of General... I've been  
having strange thoughts." She paused. "Dreams. Sometimes when I'm  
asleep, but more often when I'm awake. I'm living my current life,  
but they're here to enjoy that life with me. They're very different  
to what they were, then... No longer the playful young girls they  
were when I knew them. They were like me... Older, more reserved,  
more... dignified, in a way." She paused again. "We would talk and  
laugh about the things we went through during the war...."  
  
Eleni swallowed, watching as Kristen's eyes started to water.  
She placed her arms around her, holding her, tightly. "It's alright  
to have those dreams, you know. We all have them, or something  
similar."  
  
"Eleni...." Kristen's voice seemed to break with some  
emotion. "Was all of this really necessary?"  
  
"Hush."  
  
"Were their deaths really rewarded with something better?"  
  
"Hush." Eleni clasped Kristen even more tightly, and  
eventually guided her back into the enclosed compartment of the  
transport, where they stayed for the rest of their journey.  
  
  
  
  
TODAY  
  
  
"So..." Mars fingered through the documentation that sat on  
the table before her. "Now you know my feelings on the matter. The  
position of Field Marshal will be reallocated at the end of the  
year. Does anyone have any objections to this?" She looked around  
the conference table, set within the inner walls of the Palace of  
Crystal Tokyo. To her right, maintaining an air of distanced  
elegance, Serenity rested her chin against the back of her hands,  
watching the four Senshi seated at the table. Venus, opposite Mars,  
was leaning back with her arms crossed, expressing her disdain for  
her counterpart.  
  
"I take it that you have some objections, Venus?" Serenity  
said softly, looking at her. Venus turned to Serenity, then to  
Mars.  
  
"I realise that the process of government must go on.  
However, until Fomalcaut... the Field Marshal, recovers, it would  
look bad if we were to go through with the handover ceremony,  
especially as it would be in the absence of the retiring office  
bearer." She leaned forward, tapping a finger on the table in front  
of Mars. "We should also NOT forget that she is one of the more  
highly regarded members of the royal hierachy amongst the general  
populace. Such an action would be damaging to the reputation of us  
all."  
  
"Then you aren't going to like my next proposal." Mars  
sniffed, staring Venus down.  
  
"What proposal might that be?" The woman sitting next to  
Mars, who had been silent up to now, turned her seat to face Mars.  
"To strip Fomalcaut of her official Senshi designation?"  
  
Mars took a breath. "Antares... As an old friend of  
Fomalcaut, you would know that she had been, in her time,  
responsible for stripping other senshi of their official  
designation."  
  
"During occasions where they had abandoned their duty and  
honour, yes." Antares, aka Eleni Kostakidas, gestured with an  
imploring hand, pointing towards Mars.  
  
"I don't get it..." The fourth Senshi, Aldebaran, seated  
next to Venus, scratched her head. "Why should we just strip  
Fomalcaut of her designation? I mean, most keep their designations  
until death."  
  
"Mars is saying that the Field Marshal's current condition is  
LIKE death." Antares turned to the red-headed Aldebaran.  
"Certainly, it could be described as an abandonment of life, however  
unwilling. It all equals a kind of abandonment of her duty."  
  
"But it's UNFAIR." Aldebaran stared at Mars. "And so UNLIKE  
you to come up with such a suggestion, Mars."  
  
"I didn't." Mars sighed, rubbing her face with a hand, then  
glancing at Serenity, she gestured to her. "Our gracious Queen  
did."  
  
"But... WHY?" Venus stood, staring at Serenity. The Queen  
sat back in her seat, placing her hands in her lap with a sense of  
poise.  
  
"For discussion, Venus." Serenity nodded at her. "In  
preparation of an emergency, should it ever arise." Before Venus  
could answer Serenity's statement, a messenger entered the  
conference room, deferentially bowing to his five superiors before  
crossing over to Antares, whispering into her ear before once again  
bowing and retreating from the room.  
  
Antares stood, shuffling her paperwork into a neat bundle.  
"It would appear our discussion is moot." She picked up the  
paperwork, placing it underneath her arm. "Fomalcaut has regained  
some of her senses."  
  
Aldebaran and Venus turned to her, excitedly. "She HAS?"  
They said in unison as they grabbed each others' hands.  
  
"Indeed. Her careworkers have reported that she has started  
to register their presence, and even attempt to speak to them,  
although her interaction is very limited."  
  
Serenity stood, smiling. "This is very good news." She  
clapped her hands together. "However, I still want all of you to  
take my suggestion into account. If, for any reason, Crystal Tokyo  
is threatened, then the position of Field Marshal must be filled.  
If Fomalcaut cannot do it, then someone else shall have to. Do you  
all understand?" She looked at Antares and Aldebaran. "Especially  
you two, as the Secretary and Projects Manager of the Department of  
Social Welfare and Conditioning, I have left her in your care. I do  
not wish to have her undergo another purification."  
  
"Yes, your majesty." They both chimed in unison.  
  
"On top of this, I wish this information to be kept secret,  
for the time being, from my daughter. Is that understood."  
  
"Yes, your majesty." Venus and Mars joined in this time.  
Serenity smiled, waving them away.  
  
"This meeting is now closed. We shall meet in two days time,  
after a proper assessment is made of the Field Marshal's current  
condition."  
  
  
  
  
Antares walked through the gardens at the front of the  
Palace's Grand Hall, staring into the moonlit sky as vast transport  
ships flew overhead, guided by smaller tugships, making their way to  
and from Crystal Tokyo's spaceport. A half-forgotten memory, of  
flying over the capital of Mars, on such a vessel came to mind.  
  
"So, the afterlife wasn't to your taste, was it, Kristen?"  
She whispered to herself. Then she moved on.  
  
  
The End of Part Two  
  
  
  
Sievert Anathea Dienar sievertd@start.com.au 


	3. Intensity part 3

INTENSITY (Part 3) by Sievert Dinar  
  
  
Disclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by a lot of people, most of whom  
are not me, so don't get all worked up about my using the characters  
in ways they weren't meant. I'm just a common or garden fanfic  
writer without a hope in this dark and cruel world. Maybe.  
  
  
  
SEVENTEEN YEARS AGO....  
  
  
"So." Kristen mumbled to nobody in particular. "This is what  
the aristocracy of Crystal Tokyo get up to on their days out. Front  
row seats at the local Pit Fighting championships." She huffed as  
she shrunk in her seat, trying to hide the view of much physical  
viciousness from her eyes by putting the head of Mars between.  
Fariah clamped a hand over her mouth as Mars glanced back.  
  
"Did you say something?" Mars whispered. Fariah shook her  
head, and motioned Kristen's head to do the same. Eventually, after  
giving the pair a few dubious looks, Mars turned back. Fariah  
sighed, taking her hand from Kristen's mouth, then gripped the  
Senshi by the collar, pulling her closer.  
  
"Listen... You might not like what you see, but voicing that  
opinion in the presence of bigwigs is something akin to suicide,  
understand?" Fariah did her best to whisper the words into  
Kristen's face.  
  
"I'm sorry." Kristen pulled free of Fariah's grasp. "I'm  
only stating a personal opinion. I detest violence." She paused,  
then turned away. "Haven't we seen enough without turning it into  
a sport?" Fariah opened her mouth to answer the question, then  
thought it over.  
  
"Nobody dies..." She was interrupted as the crowd that filled  
the Crystal Tokyo Superdome exploded with cheers as one of the  
fighters pinned down his opponent. As everyone rose to their feet,  
both Fariah and Kristen lowered themselves in a conspiratorial  
manner. "The difference is that nobody dies in this competition.  
This is just make-believe. A great deal of it is nothing more than  
theater."  
  
"It still takes up too much of this city's time and energy."  
Kristen looked from side to side. "I'm only here because I drew the  
short straw in the bodyguard stakes."  
  
"Don't worry." Fariah turned from her, leaning against her  
armrest. "We'll be back at the frontline of Iapetus by next week.  
You'll have something worthwhile to complain about, then..."  
  
  
  
  
TODAY  
  
  
The two careworkers looked at each other as they stepped out  
the gate at the front of the small unit. "We really shouldn't be  
leaving her, you know?" The second hunched her shoulders, feeling a  
little guilty. "At a time like this..."  
  
"At a time like this, she needs to be left alone. You HEARD  
what she asked us. She wants to be left alone."  
  
"She didn't so much as ASK us... Hell, it was a bloody good  
thing we could even understand what she was saying. Good thing we  
can lip-read." The second woman shook her head. "This is a big step  
forward for her, and they're telling us to continue on as if nothing  
has happened."  
  
"She'll be hear tomorrow morning, you know. Even having come  
to, as she has, she's not going to be going anywhere." The first  
woman sighed, stretching. "Personally, I'm glad to get out of that  
little hovel. Stuck in the middle of nowhere, like this." She  
gestured to their surroundings. The park, the leadway, the walk,  
the neighboring units, the wall, the transit lines, the towering  
buildings that surrounded them. "It's all so enclosed, so  
claustrophobic. I really can't get with this divided district  
concept that Those Who Rule have come up with. I mean, walled-off,  
self-contained districts that people rarely leave, excluding travel  
and special events... I'm much more enamored of the Crystal Oslo  
design... Much more cosmopolitan and open."  
  
"It's you marvelously outgoing nature." The second woman  
started to move away from the gate, towards the walk. Her partner  
followed her.  
  
"Is that supposed to be an insult?"  
  
"Oh, I dunno. Work it out for yourself."  
  
  
  
  
The voices of the two careworkers disappeared behind the  
rattling of the G-Line transit, underlining the onset of the long  
night. For the first time in a long time, she took in the darkness  
of the room around her, and the gentle glow of the lamps that lit  
the leadway, shining through the vertical blinds, striking her still  
face like a cold gossamer-like flame.  
  
Darkness, tinged with light. It was almost too much for her  
to take. She felt panic tightening within her chest, and she sat  
bolt upright from her futon, clutching at the front of her yukata,  
trying to catch her breath, shivering with the full fear of death.  
yet it did not descend upon her. The sudden movement ended the  
panic seizure as quickly as it had started, and the silence filled  
her ears.  
  
  
"Kristen..." Her name left her mouth as if it were foreign to  
her. She stared at her hands, trying to grasp the concept of her  
existence. Everything seemed so alien to her... As if everything  
was a first-time experience.  
  
She touched her right hand, feeling the resistance of her  
flesh to the strokes. She felt fear at the sight of the hand, and  
she couldn't understand why. It WAS her hand, was it not?  
  
She reached, with that hand, to her right eye, and attempted  
to stroke it, her eyelid reacting automatically, shutting it off  
before contact was made. She could SEE from that eye. Of COURSE  
she could see from that eye, it was only natural. After all, it WAS  
her eye, wasn't it?  
  
She placed a hand over the eye and felt an odd sense of  
comfort. Why she should feel comfort over the loss of sight in one  
of her eyes, she could not even begin to understand. Taking the  
hand away, she lay back down upon the futon, pulled the quilt over  
her body and stared at the ceiling.  
  
And stared.  
  
And stared.  
  
  
  
  
SERVICE JOURNAL OF SAILORANTARES (ELENI KOSTAKIDAS)  
  
ENTRY 7705  
  
It still concerns me, the way the Field Marshal wears the  
glove on her right hand, and the patch over her right eye. Even  
though she has long since been healed of the horrific injuries she  
had suffered on Enceladus, this practice tells me that the healing  
has been only... skin deep.  
  
It is hard to tell what is on the mind of the Field Marshal.  
Even though I am, today, her closest friend, she is not very adept  
at letting her deepest feelings known. Verbally, at least. It has  
to be said, she is a great deal more capable of expressing herself  
physically than in any other manner, but since this is not meant to  
be a study in the sexual habits of serving Senshi, I shall refrain  
from commenting on that account. Unless, of course, it is related  
to the trauma she has suffered, and that is not something I have  
discounted.  
  
  
  
  
TWO YEARS AGO....  
  
  
"I think it's cute." Chibiusa reached forward, touching her  
sensei's eyepatch. "In an strange kind of way, it suits you.  
Looks, like, really cool, you know?"  
  
"Thanks a lot." Kristen crossed her arms. "You know  
something? You're very good at changing the subject from anything  
but your studies."  
  
Chibiusa gestured to the large room that was her study. The  
single small table was dwarfed amongst the vast library of books,  
computers and other educational tools. "My mother expects me to  
have made use of all this by the time I reach her age. Basically,  
she can get knotted for all I care." Chibiusa leaned back in her  
seat, arms crossed, and very nearly toppled backwards if not for the  
speed of Kristen's right hand. "Th... thanks." Chibiusa gasped.  
  
Kristen smiled at her. "More than you deserve for being so  
disrespectful to your own mother."  
  
"I've been disrespectful in the past. She really deserves it,  
you know... I bet she hasn't learnt HALF the stuff I've learnt with  
you. She really sucked as a student."  
  
"How do you know this? Have you ever gone back into the past  
and met her?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Oh. Of course you have. Silly question." Kristen sighed.  
  
  
  
  
TODAY  
  
  
"To travel into your own past... The possibility to change  
it... Make it better..." Kristen whispered to herself as the  
darkness of the unit's ceiling seeped into her mind. Slowly but  
surely, sleep overcame her.  
  
  
  
The End of Part Three  
  
  
  
Sievert Anathea Dienar sievertd@start.com.au 


	4. Intensity part 4

INTENSITY (Part 4) by Sievert Dinar  
  
  
Disclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by a lot of people, most of whom  
are not me, so don't get all worked up about my using the characters  
in ways they weren't meant. I'm just a common or garden fanfic  
writer without a hope in this dark and cruel world. Maybe.  
  
  
  
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AND SIX MONTHS AGO....  
  
  
A pink windcheater, blue jeans and a pair of white and blue  
sneakers. They were the only clothes she had that were worth  
anything to her, and they were the clothes she was wearing as she  
shuffled along in the queue of Gate 17 at Crystal Tokyo's spaceport.  
In one hand she held the immigration papers that had been given to  
her upon her departure from her homeland by the Crystalline  
Consulate. In the other she held a floppy backpack, containing a  
few items of emotional attachment that she could have been bothered  
taking with her. At sixteen years of age, her parents recently  
dead, she really didn't have the energy to worry about the pathetic  
figure she presented to the officers at the end of the line.  
  
Ushered to one of two checkpoints, her backpack was rifled  
through and her papers scrutinised. The officer leading the  
inspection, a woman named Allison Drury, looked between the papers  
and the girl who stood before her, then tapped the papers with a  
cursory hand. "So, you're applying for citizenship of Crystal  
Tokyo, are you?" The girl mumbled a reply, staring at the floor.  
Allison sighed. "Have you even given thought as to how you're going  
to survive here? We aren't some sanctuary for the world's losers,  
you know?"  
  
"I'm not a... loser." The girl took a breath, running a hand  
through her long, black hair as she stared Allison in the eyes.  
"And I have skills that will get me by, thankyou very much. I'm not  
intending to be some kind of deadweight, sponging on the system."  
  
"That's good to hear." Allison snorted, gesturing to her male  
deputy to have a look at the girl's papers. The deputy looked at  
Allison, dubiously, shaking his head, then returning to his job of  
checking other passengers' luggage. Allison closed her eyes and  
took a long breath, then opened them again, handing the girl the  
papers and her backpack. "You're free to go through. Please follow  
the green line to the immigrant arrivals office. They shall aid you  
in finding accommodation and employment." She paused, then placed a  
hand on the girl's shoulder before she could leave. "Child, take my  
advice... If you are TRULY determined to make something of your  
life, here in Crystal Tokyo, then I would suggest the Clerical  
Division of the Public Service." She stared the girl in the eyes.  
"Believe me, it was the only lifeline I was able to find when I  
first arrived here."  
  
The girl blinked, frowning, then nodded mutely and, brushing  
off Allison's touch, she continued on her way. Allison watched her,  
shaking her head, as her deputy stepped up alongside. "She's gone  
for all money, I tell you. Did you see what the papers said? She's  
recently lost her parents. She'll still be in mourning, for  
Serenity's sake. She'll be an unemployable basket case." Allison  
turned to him, as if to reply, then shrugged. She, too, had been an  
unemployable basket case when she had arrived, and things had been  
difficult for her. But this girl was in an even worse state.  
  
"What was her name, again?" Allison rubbed her chin.  
  
"Kirsche. Kristen Kirsche. Sixteen years old and all that."  
Her deputy raised his eyebrows as Allison mentally logged the name.  
  
"Better keep an eye on the news. I'd like to know when they  
fish her body out of the canals."  
  
  
  
  
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AND THREE MONTHS AGO....  
  
  
"So..." Venus paused in her inspection of the Military  
Office's clerical staff, almost having her secretaries running into  
her in the process. "...You're the Kristen Kirsche who has become  
infamous for her ESP party tricks... Bending the spoons and  
manipulating the compasses."  
  
Kristen, standing in line like her fellow workers, couldn't  
bring herself to face Venus as the blond Senshi of the Inner Circle  
stared her down. "Hai..." She mumbled, almost silently, squeezing  
her arms closer around her front as she started to wring her hands  
together, sweatdropping. Venus smiled, tapping her on the shoulder  
with a finger.  
  
"I want to see you in my office, tomorrow morning at nine. Do  
you understand. This is not a request... It is an order." And  
with that, she continued on her way, smiling at the remaining  
victims of her inspection.  
  
Quietly, Michelle Anafeire, Kristen's closest friend in the  
office, made an ominous sound as she leaned over to Kristen's ear.  
"You're doomed, girl. I told you nothing good would come of all  
those party tricks of yours... Senshi Venus will eat you alive."  
  
"She probably thinks you're a potential enemy of the state."  
Myra Richards, standing on the other side of Kristen, sneered.  
"After all, who else would wander into Crystal Tokyo and start  
flashing around magical powers like that?" Kristen looked down at  
the small, bespectacled young woman with evil eyes.  
  
"You're the one who kept asking me to do all these 'party  
tricks'. Once you found out about it all, you wouldn't leave well  
enough alone."  
  
Myra sniffed. "So you're blaming me for your bringing  
yourself to the attention of the bigwigs? Yeah, good one, girl.  
Gotta love your reasoning." Kristen growled, bearing her teeth at  
Myra before Michelle bopped her one over the back of her head with  
a hand.  
  
"That'll be enough of that. You want to get in even deeper  
shit than you're already in?" Michelle stood up to attention as the  
Office Manager strode by. Kristen once more did her best to look  
anywhere but at her superior, who paused in his own inspection.  
  
"I expect you to be on the best of behaviour when you visit  
the office of Senshi Venus." He paused, thinking. "I've never had  
anyone from this office requested to visit one of the Inner Circle.  
You so much as slip up and I'll roast you alive, understand."  
  
"Hai..." Kristen mumbled.  
  
  
  
  
TODAY  
  
  
Venus paused in her readings, rubbing her face as she  
attempted to divorce herself from the dark and claustrophobic  
surroundings of her Palace study.  
  
Closing the book she had been perusing, she stood from her  
chair and wandered over to the large study window, overlooking the  
western quarter of Crystal Tokyo from on high. Touching the  
diamante pane, she mused over the events of the day, formulating in  
her mind what she would do on the next. She was roused by a gentle  
tap on the study door. "Come." She said in a firm voice as she  
turned to the large set of double doors.  
  
They opened, slowly and cautiously, and she was surprised when  
the pink-haired Small Lady peered through the opening, searching the  
room for her.  
  
"Chibiusa!" Venus crossed the floor as the girl stepped into  
the study, closing the doors behind her. "What are you doing up at  
this time of the night?" The teenaged princess held out a hand to  
Venus, causing her to stop, then placed a finger over her lips.  
  
"Mama doesn't know I'm here." She whispered. "I managed to  
sneak out of my chambers without the servants noticing." Venus  
frowned, cocking her head to one side.  
  
"Why on Earth did you go to so much effort just to see me?"  
She paused, thinking things over. There was a pleading expression  
on Chibiusa's face, a look that she had seen before. It was the  
same look that Serenity, when she was still plain old Usagi, would  
give her when there was something she desperately wanted to know.  
"You know, don't you?"  
  
"Is it true?" Chibiusa clenched her fingers, nervously. "Has  
my Sensei recovered?" Venus took a breath, shaking her head and  
placing her hands on Chibiusa's shoulders.  
  
"Listen, Princess... Your Sensei has... not recovered... to  
the extent that you wish her to be." Chibiusa's expression changed  
to one of disappointment. "True, she has come to from her state of  
catatonia, but this does not mean she is in full grasp of her  
senses."  
  
"I want to see her." Chibiusa shrugged Venus off, turning  
away and refusing to look her in the face. "I don't care if she is  
only half-conscious, I want to see her."  
  
"Your mother has..."  
  
"DAMN MY MOTHER!" Chibiusa rounded on Venus, almost lashing  
out and forcing the Senshi to take a step back. Chibiusa put up her  
hands and regained her control. "I don't care what my mother thinks  
is good for me... I wish to see Sensei. She is my friend, and I  
haven't been able to see her since she collapsed."  
  
"It's impossible." Venus shook her head. "No matter what you  
do, you'll never be able to leave the Palace without it raising some  
suspicion. Even moreso, it would be impossible to hide your  
presence from the locals of the district in which she is  
convalescing."  
  
"Then DON'T hide it, for Kami's sake! I really don't CARE  
what my mother thinks in this regard. I'm old enough to make my own  
decisions, now. I AM seventeen." She stared at Venus, imploringly.  
"Please. You've GOT to help me."  
  
Venus placed a thumb to her lips, thinking things over.  
"There is a way." She said, eventually.  
  
  
  
The End of Part Four  
  
  
  
Sievert Anathea Dienar sievertd@start.com.au 


	5. Intensity part 5

INTENSITY (Part 5) by Sievert Dinar  
  
  
Disclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by a lot of people, most of whom  
are not me, so don't get all worked up about my using the characters  
in ways they weren't meant. I'm just a common or garden fanfic  
writer without a hope in this dark and cruel world. Maybe.  
  
  
  
FIVE YEARS AGO, THE CONFERENCE ROOM ABOARD SENSHI VENUS'S  
PERSONAL TRANSPORT, THE "APHRODITE TERRA"....  
  
  
"The Schrephold Basin?" Venus stared at the battle map of  
Enceladus as her subordinate wearily pointed to it with her sole  
remaining hand. Venus put out her own, worried that the badly  
wounded Senshi would collapse on the spot through this one mere  
action. Fomalcaut looked up at her, half-smiling, her left eye,  
uncovered by the bandages that hid the atrocities committed to the  
other, flashing an air of cold, calculating and anger-filled  
amusement. Venus wasn't quite sure what she thought she was aiming  
that amusement at.  
  
"It was formed during the first attack on Enceladus, some time  
ago, when we attempted to lay siege to the Darkness by dropping some  
of Saturn's ring material upon them." She paused. "It was the only  
successful strike, doing exactly what the previous General said it  
would do... Mind you, it was the only one we were able to get up to  
velocity..." Fomalcaut started to cough, then doubled over the map,  
using it to support herself. Several of the commanding officers who  
were present at the briefing went to her aid, including Venus,  
herself.  
  
"Take it easy..." Venus said to her, softly. "You're in no  
condition to push yourself as hard, and as obsessively, as you do."  
With those words, Fomalcaut settled, and started to chuckle.  
  
"Yes, I suppose I do push myself a little hard." Venus  
couldn't see her expression, it being hidden by the shaggy fringe of  
hair that was jutting through the bandages. "But I really do think  
I am the best person to judge how I should take care of myself,  
don't you?" Fomalcaut, without rising, dragged her arm across the  
map and circled the Schrephold Basin. "There is only one way in to  
this... Via the Acritania pass. It was a natural formation... One  
of the chasms that the slurry ice, which seeps from Enceladus's  
interior, used to rise to the surface. When the impact hit, the  
liquid icewell that supported the system was deranged, and formed  
another breach in the surface elsewhere. The original chasm froze  
over and formed a natural path into the basin. If we can push the  
Darkness through the pass and into the basin, there shall be no  
escape for them."  
  
"So we shall be able to purify them." The Rigel Senshi,  
commander of the planned first attack battalion, helped Fomalcaut  
to stand, holding her around the shoulders in support. "All the  
evil that has motivated them, to commit the atrocities that they  
have committed, shall be wiped from them at the very atomic level,  
and perhaps beyond..." She was taken aback as Fomalcaut shot her a  
look of anger.  
  
"Purify?" She snarled. "And then what? Hope they're  
naturally nice enough people to redeem themselves in our eyes?  
Perhaps you haven't actually MET any of these people. There are  
reasons why it was so easy for them to come under the spell of the  
energies of darkness." It looked as if she was going to explode,  
her breath becoming labored, and tears started to fall from her  
visible eye. "Evil is as much a natural action for life as  
breathing. Without it, we don't have anything to judge just what IS  
bad, and therefore, what is good."  
  
"Fomalcaut!" Venus snapped, making the injured Senshi spin,  
almost collapsing from giddiness if not for Rigel's support. "I  
think you are allowing your personal bitterness to cloud your  
judgement. We're not here to KILL these people. That has NEVER  
been our way." She softened. "I think it is time you rested and  
recovered your energies. Later, we shall talk through your  
experiences, yes?"  
  
Fomalcaut opened her mouth, as if to say something, then  
closed it again, nodding, her face dropping with exhaustion. Venus  
watched as she was guided from the briefing room by Rigel and  
another minor senshi, then took a long breath, her eyes closed and  
her face turned to the ceiling, trying to regain some of her own  
composure. Fomalcaut's words had the turn of a lot of ears amongst  
the Kingdom's troops, now. It was not going to be easy to convince  
them all that what they were to do with the Darkness army was in the  
best interests of all...  
  
  
  
  
TODAY  
  
  
"I was tired. Sleeping in my room in the mid-afternoon, after  
many hours of hand-to-hand combat training with Jupiter. Then,  
sometime around four or five, with the sun shining through my  
bedroom window, casting a ghostly yellow light across the floor, I  
opened my eyes, still yet half-asleep, and saw someone standing in  
the darkness beyond the light. I sat up in my bed and asked them  
who they were, and what were they doing in my bedroom. They did not  
answer. Not immediately, anyway, instead they stepped into the  
light, and I saw it to be my Sensei."  
  
"Not just my Sensei, of course, but a different version of  
her. She looked brighter, younger, more energetic. Yes, I know she  
had had her aging process stopped shortly after purification, but  
this version of her... had to have been the woman she once was when  
she first joined the Kingdom. There was a brightness in her eyes  
that I have never seen before, at least I don't remember having seen  
it before. The sensei I remember always exhibited a kind of world-  
weariness... Probably why I came to love her so much. She  
performed the role of a kind of gentle, dotty old Grandmother. The  
role that Ikuko-mama used to have when she was alive. She was  
physically no older than I, yet she seemed light years ahead in  
experience and outlook... A mixture of playfulness and  
conservatism that has long been missing in Mama or any of the  
other old Senshi... No offense or anything."  
  
  
"None taken." Venus sat beside Chibiusa as she lay upon her  
settee, head resting against a pillow. Chibiusa looked up at her,  
surprised to see her old friend holding a hand over her eyes, as if  
in a kind of shock, or mourning. Whatever it was, she found it  
immensely disturbing.  
  
"Minako-chan?" Chibiusa whispered. "Are you alright?" Venus  
rose her face from behind her hand, then attempted to smile.  
  
"It's nothing. Please... tell me more about your encounter  
with this... alternate version of your Sensei." Chibiusa looked at  
Venus, dubiously, then turned onto her back, thinking.  
  
"When I saw who it was, I didn't immediately register the  
differences. I just shot straight out of bed and wrapped my arms  
around her, bawling my eyes out. I was so happy to see her. She  
looked so well... that pallor of her face was gone, I felt an  
immense sense of relief. She had her arms around me, too... Crying  
like a baby, the both of us were. Then we sat on the end of my bed,  
and she told me all about how she had recovered, how she had to  
sneak into my room, because Mama and everyone didn't want me to see  
her... How everyone was afraid of her and the effect she might have  
on me. The words were disturbing, and yet comforting. She seemed  
to have an immense insight into all of the emotions that I had gone  
through in her absence. Then she warned me... that Mama might kill  
her if she knew she was with me. I promised her that I wouldn't  
tell anybody about our meeting. Then she said she had to leave, and  
after a few goodbyes, she sank back into the shadow and was gone  
from my room."  
  
Venus chewed over this, rubbing her chin. "And yet, you now  
know that this was not the REAL Fomalcaut?"  
  
"I heard whispers from my bodyguards." Chibiusa swallowed.  
"They said she had recovered, and initially I had taken what she had  
told me as a given, that Mama really DIDN'T want me to see her. But  
they went on, saying how she had only just come to, and was still  
too weak to speak and all, that the appearance of the person who had  
come into my room clicked. That COULDN'T have been my Sensei. The  
Sensei I knew was NEVER that bright, that intense. And it  
frightened me. I mean, that could have been ANYONE. An assassin,  
maybe, attempting to masquerade as my Sensei. And then I thought  
again, and that didn't seem to be the answer, either." She paused.  
"Do you believe in dopplegangers, Venus?"  
  
"Hmm?" Venus, who had been looking away, deep in thought as  
Chibiusa recounted her story, snapped to upon her question.  
"Dopplegangers?"  
  
"You know... Ghostly doubles of living people."  
  
"I know that studies into the spiritual realm are far  
advanced, and that an argument can be made to justify the existence  
of life after death, however... Ghosts of people who are still  
alive, ones that you can interact with..." She shook her head.  
"Unless Fomalcaut deliberately sent you a vision of herself...  
deliberately or otherwise, as an attempt to allay your fears for her  
person..."  
  
"Deliberately or otherwise?"  
  
"Well... If she was subconsciously concerned about you, then  
she could have created the vision, with some autonomy, to visit  
you." Venus knew her hypothesis was starting to sound shaky, but  
Chibiusa wasn't in the mood to argue, nodding mutely and relaxing.  
  
"I would understand her feelings. And nobody knows the depth  
of the power of some of our Senshi... Perhaps she might be able to  
do it." Chibiusa closed her eyes. "I so want to see her. The REAL  
her. I hope your plan works. It would be so disappointing if Mama  
were to ever find out."  
  
"If that were the only thing your Mama were to have to worry  
about, Small Lady." Venus thought to herself.  
  
  
  
The End of Part Five  
  
  
  
=^.^= niya  
Sievert Anathea Dienar sievertd@start.com.au 


	6. Intensity part 6

INTENSITY (Part 6) by Sievert Dinar  
  
  
Disclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by a lot of people, most of whom  
are not me, so don't get all worked up about my using the characters  
in ways they weren't meant. I'm just a common or garden fanfic  
writer without a hope in this dark and cruel world. Maybe.  
  
  
  
PERSONAL JOURNAL OF KRISTEN KIRSCHE - UNDATED  
  
  
Why is it that death so wants to avoid me? Everyone around me  
has this penchant for dying, and yet I'm unable to follow. Not that  
I want to die. Or perhaps I do, it's hard to tell, sometimes.  
Better to involve myself in the absolute now, rather than make plans  
for the future. That would be so much easier. Of course, I shall  
die one day. Even given the best of conditions, it is statistically  
impossible for anyone to live forever... Death catches up with you  
in the end. But for so long, he... she... it... has been avoiding  
me.  
  
I was there when Mama and Papa died. I saw them die. I saw  
HOW they died. Their final moments, filled with horror and pain,  
whilst death looked at me and turned up his nose. Contempt for  
someone not worthy enough of its gifts. They put me in an  
institution after that, for about three months. Then they tried to  
foster me out to some lame pair of idiots who had no idea. I wonder  
if they're still alive, today? They must have been terribly upset  
when they found I was missing. I couldn't tell them of my  
intentions. They would never have allowed it, not a 16 year old  
girl. But I had seen death reject me, so that sense of fear... that  
may accompany other girls my age, of the outside world, simply  
wasn't there. I was simply inviting the world to do its worst. And  
it did.  
  
  
  
  
SEVENTEEN YEARS AGO, MARS, NOCTIS LABYRINTHUS....  
  
  
We found her, sitting inside the ditch, holding onto the dead  
body of her friend, covered in her blood. Indeed, the only way we  
could identify the body of the dead Senshi was by asking her still-  
living friend... Which was about all we could get out of her. The  
girl's face had been blown clean off, by what we don't know, but by  
looking at the dozen or so other bodies at the scene, it had to have  
been pretty effective.  
  
The deceased was the designated Senshi Andromeda, also known  
by her human name of Arugisawa Kimiko. Kimiko was a member of the  
15th A Division, as were all the other members of the squad. We  
buried the bodies on site, as per instructions, and brought the near  
catatonic Fomalcaut back to the support base, where she was treated.  
She was evacuated to an orbital medical facility after that.  
  
Fomalcaut has since returned to the battlefields of Mars,  
where she has won commendation for her leadership of the 15th A 7th  
Squad. Although, it has to be said, she has taken, to her  
leadership, an element of viciousness that, according to those who  
had known her, previously, wasn't there beforehand. In some  
circles, this has made her rather popular, although I feel a little  
nervous about ever having to face a command such as hers.  
  
  
Report by Eleni Kostakidas, Sergeant of the 12th B Division's  
rescue and evacuation squad, on the Massacre of Branch 12C.  
  
  
  
  
TODAY....  
  
  
"I don't think these disguises are working, Venus." Chibiusa  
whispered into Venus's ear as the pair did their best to hold onto  
the support straps of the Crystal Tokyo Metro, trying to avoid the  
stares of the other passengers as the two members of the royal  
hierachy moved back and forth with the weight of sheer numbers  
pressing against them.  
  
"Well, there is not a lot one can do with your pink hair."  
Venus paused. "At least, with the time we were given."  
  
"It's not the hair I'm worrying about." Chibiusa sighed. "It  
was the choice of clothes." Venus looked down at the cute, pink,  
bunny-print dress that Chibiusa was wearing, then down at the bright  
yellow, short floral dress she was wearing.  
  
"What? You mean these aren't in style, these days?" She  
looked disappointed. "I had my idol-singing debut in this dress."  
She paused. "Good thing I got rid of all the frills and stuff.  
They would have REALLY made me stand out."  
  
"Venus..." Chibiusa put her free hand over her eyes. "Just  
because we managed to slip past the palace guard by trying to blend  
in with the early morning guided tour doesn't mean everyone in  
Crystal Tokyo is as blind or as stupid." She dropped the hand and  
sighed.  
  
"Yes, we really have to do something about their incipient  
stormtrooper syndrome. The guards really did have their blinkers on  
this morning." Venus rubbed her chin, just in time to be jerked  
forward with the rest of the crowd as the train started to slow.  
  
"District 179, Capital Tower. District 179, Capital Tower."  
A bored voice blared through the carriage speakers, trying to drown  
out the noise of the train and disgruntled morning passengers.  
Chibiusa suddenly bobbed down below the other passengers, returning  
with a bag that had been sitting at her feet.  
  
"Good thing this hasn't been trampled. It was so hard,  
convincing her careworkers to let us take over the morning shift.  
I'd be surprised if they haven't notified the department on us,  
already."  
  
Venus smiled. "Well, we do have someone within the department  
on our side." She pointed towards the doors. "This is our stop.  
Get ready to fight for your life."  
  
Chibiusa sweatdropped as the train came to a stop within the  
terminal.  
  
  
  
  
ONE YEAR AGO, CRYSTAL TOKYO, DISTRICT 075....  
  
  
"It's awful." Kristen mumbled as the royal transport rolled  
through the fairly drab-looking section of Crystal Tokyo's  
industrial base. "It's exactly the same as I remember it, when I  
first came to this city." She shook her head, sighing, turning to  
Eleni, who was sitting opposite her. "There are people living in  
all that."  
  
"I know." Eleni replied, her arms crossed and eyes shut. "I  
don't bother to look at it, anymore."  
  
"You'd think that, with the rise of Serenity, things would  
change for the less fortunate of this world." Kristen touched the  
window. "There are people down there who are disabled, physically  
and mentally, and people who suffer all manner of psychiatric  
problems. Purification wasn't the answer to those problems." She  
paused as they crossed over a large, cemented canal. "I remember,  
when I first arrived here... One of the guards at the airport  
mentioned something about keeping an eye on the news, because they  
wanted to know when I was going to be fished out of the canals."  
She swallowed. "Within a week of settling in to this district, they  
found two girls in the canal we just crossed over. They'd been  
raped and strangled. As far as I know, nobody ever found their  
killer. Killers."  
  
Eleni shook her head. "As I said, I don't bother to look at  
it, anymore. This city has been through a protracted conflict.  
Serenity hasn't had time to deal with her own domestic crises. Once  
the war is over, she'll get started on it. You mark my words."  
  
"I wish..." Kristen paused, then turned away from the window,  
slumping in her seat. "I wish I could have saved those girls."  
Eleni opened her eyes.  
  
"Saving people is not like saving bedraggled kittens, like you  
so often do. They're slightly more demanding creatures."  
  
"But isn't there some sacredness in life, no matter what that  
life might be?" Kristen became solemn. "To not simply sweep the  
problems under the carpet... Abandon people to the wastes of  
suburbia. Even our kind of suburbia."  
  
"Too easy for a girl who was raised in a small town to say  
such things." Eleni closed her eyes again. And the transport  
rolled on.  
  
  
  
  
TODAY....  
  
  
Sunlight met her gaze, as blank and as undemanding as those  
eyes now were. The ceiling was still there, which had to be a good  
thing, since nobody was going to blame her for letting it collapse.  
  
She wanted to sit up, but found herself curiously unable to  
find the energy to do so. So instead, she decided to lie back and  
wait for those two young women to make her day a living hell by  
talking down to her, once more.  
  
Stuck out in the wasteland of suburbia. No longer in District  
075, but a place that was just as bad in its own way. Abandoned.  
Swept under the carpet. A problem too big to solve. "Ah well..."  
She thought to herself. "I haven't got a lot to complain about.  
I've still got a roof over my head, and I'm still alive."  
  
She became tense, clutching at her futon with her hands.  
Still alive? What did that mean to her, anymore? She now had  
nothing, after a quarter of a century of varying degrees of hell,  
she had nothing to show for it.  
  
  
Before she knew what she was doing, she was standing, stomping  
towards the bathroom. At the very least, she could be clean in her  
self-pity!  
  
The fact that she hadn't walked in months didn't seem to  
register in her clouded mind.  
  
  
The End of Part Six  
  
  
  
=^.^= niya  
Sievert Anathea Dienar sievertd@start.com.au 


	7. Intensity part 7

INTENSITY (Part 7) by Sievert Dinar  
  
  
Disclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by a lot of people, most of whom  
are not me, so don't get all worked up about my using the characters  
in ways they weren't meant. I'm just a common or garden fanfic  
writer without a hope in this dark and cruel world. Maybe.  
  
  
  
TODAY....  
  
  
"This place is miserable." Chibiusa stared at the park as  
both she and Venus turned into the leadway. "What were you people  
thinking, leaving her in a place like this?"  
  
"Well, umm..." Venus swallowed, not really knowing what to  
say to that kind of question, without giving every reason away.  
  
"I mean, yes, it's got a miserable little park on the other  
side of the... of the..."  
  
"Leadway, Small Lady."  
  
"Whatever you want to call it, it feels like I'm at the bottom  
of a pit, here." She gestured around, the bag she was carrying  
flying around with the movement. "Huge buildings in every  
direction. I'm surprised enough sunlight reaches this place to keep  
the plants alive. It's just so... so damn HEAVY. I feel like the  
lot is weighing me down. It's awful."  
  
"Well, it's not really THAT bad, all things considered."  
Venus put on a little nervous laugh. Chibiusa turned to her,  
glaring.  
  
"Not all THAT bad?"  
  
"Well, she could have been put somewhere around Districts 071  
to 077. I hear things are pretty bad in those areas, now. We  
certainly wouldn't be walking around like we are now." Venus put up  
her hands. "Not as we ARE, anyway."  
  
"That's not really the point." Chibiusa huffed. "Why did she  
HAVE to be put out in the city, anyway, when we have a perfectly  
good hospice back in the Palace for conditions such as hers?"  
  
"The decision was your mother's. I really don't know much  
more about it." Venus hoped that sounded convincing. She was  
disappointed to find that Chibiusa wasn't listening at all. In  
fact, she looked quite distracted. No surprises, there. "What is  
it, Chibiusa?"  
  
"I can hear running water." Chibiusa scratched her head as a  
train ran along the rails, above. "I DID hear running water." She  
blinked, then pointed to the front gate of the farthest unit.  
"There is water running out of the front garden of that place."  
  
Venus's eyes popped. "There is water running out from under  
the front door!" She ran up to the gate. "Oh for Kami's sake!"  
  
"What is it?" Chibiusa joined her.  
  
"It's your Sensei's... new home."  
  
"WHAT?" Chibiusa almost dropped the bag. "What... What is  
happening?"  
  
Venus pushed open the front gate and, followed by her pink-  
haired charge, made her way up to the front door, pulling out a set  
of keys. She placed her ear against the door, listening. "Oh my...  
I can hear the bath running."  
  
"The bath?" Chibiusa put a hand to her mouth. "Could her  
careworkers have left it on?" Venus gave her a pained look.  
  
"They never used the damn thing. It would have meant carrying  
your sensei to and from it. No, they cleaned her using a towel and  
a tub. There was no real reason to have left the bath running."  
She paused. "Let alone with the plug in so it could fill up."  
  
"That means my sensei..."  
  
"Has tried to take a bath, herself, yes." Venus pushed the  
necessary key into the lock and quickly opened the door. A trail of  
water could be seen, leading across the loungeroom carpet from  
underneath the bathroom door. Chibiusa held her nose.  
  
"Oh gawd... I hate the smell of wet carpets."  
  
"Field Marshal!" Venus ignored her and made her way to the  
bathroom door, throwing it open. She paused, staring in disbelief  
as a body bobbed just underneath the surface of the water. "Oh my  
Kami, no!" She ran forward as Chibiusa gibbered behind her. "Field  
Marshal! Field Marshal!" She grabbed Kristen from underneath her  
arms and lifted her head above water. "Field Marshal!" She stared  
at the dark-haired woman's impassive face for several tense moments,  
before her eyes shot open, giving Venus a fright.  
  
"You know." Kristen coughed. "Being underwater is not half  
bad. I always wondered what Neptune saw in it." She held up a  
small, waterproof watch. "What do you know! I was down there for  
four minutes! That's a new record for me."  
  
  
  
  
TWENTYFIVE YEARS AGO, THE PALACE OF CRYSTAL TOKYO, EAST WING, VESTAL  
HALL....  
  
  
"Do you know what it means to be a Senshi." Venus studied the  
young Kristen with keen eyes. The girl, having only donned her  
Senshi uniform for the first time, looked awkward and uncomfortable,  
standing in the middle of the vast Vestal Hall. The Hall had been  
built for the sole purpose of training new members amongst the  
Senshi, and more.... It was almost a place where the established  
members of the hierachy could psychoanalyse their charges, alone or  
in front of an audience. Having set her sights on turning Kristen  
into a fully-fledged Senshi, Venus had opted to meet her alone in  
this inaugural session. Kristen didn't know whether she should have  
been relieved, or aghast.  
  
"N.... No, ma'am." Kristen wrung her hands together, not  
looking up at the face of Venus as the master Senshi, dressed in the  
full regalia of her position, paced around her like a cat stalking  
its prey. At least, that was how Kristen saw it.... She was damn  
cold in the ridiculously short-cut skirt and top, wondering how the  
originals ever dealt with such things in the old days. The Vestal  
Hall, large and almost gothic in design, was a cathedral-like  
structure, made predominantly of stone, and gave little away for the  
comfort of those who used it.  
  
Kristen swallowed as Venus stopped in front of her, then felt  
the master Senshi place the fingers of her right hand underneath her  
chin, lifting Kristen's face to meet hers. "No, I don't suppose you  
do. Not a great many of those who join the ranks truly understand  
our search for those with the potential, the seed, to carry on the  
fight. Of course, it really SHOULD be obvious, but nobody likes to  
think about it. But then, that is not the only reason." Venus  
smiled. "To create replacements for ourselves, when the time comes  
to move from this life, sounds like such a morbid excuse, don't you  
think?" Kristen nodded, feeling sweat beading on her forehead.  
Venus took her hand away and turned from her, pacing several steps  
before stopping, glancing blithely over her shoulder. "Can you  
think of the more important reason?"  
  
Kristen took a breath, her voice emerging as nothing more than  
a croak. "To provide... breeding stocks... to perfect the  
bloodlines... of the Senshi. To create the... ultimate breed of  
Senshi." Kristen swallowed as Venus looked away, again. The  
shoulders of the master Senshi seemed to drop at the mention of her  
words.  
  
"It sounds like a crude experiment in Eugenics to me." Venus  
paused. "I really wonder if it is all worth it, in the end. Some  
of Serenity's decisions, of late, have been.... VERY strange." She  
paused for what seemed like an eternity. "The human element... just  
seems to be missing from all of this. But she IS the Queen, and I  
am the leader of her personal guard, and a confidante. Who am I to  
be questioning her when most of what she thinks is partly a product  
of my own words...." An unseen smile crept to Venus's lips. "What  
do YOU think, Fomalcaut? Do you think everything she decides is in  
the best interests for all?"  
  
  
Within Kristen, something clicked.... Something hard, formal  
and cold. And something utterly imperceptible to Kristen. "Of  
course I do, Ma'am. All of what Serenity says and does is divine.  
How can YOU question her so easily, you who are supposed to be one  
of her inner circle?" Venus turned to her, surprised by the sudden  
outburst, and became fixated by Kristen's stare. It was not  
something she had ever experienced from the girl in the few months  
she had known her. Up until this stage, she had presented a fairly  
shy and awkward figure. Now, Venus could feel a desire to nod her  
head in agreement.... to bow down to someone of immense greatness,  
the likes of which she had NOT met since her first encounter with  
Serenity.  
  
And the word entered her mind, one that chilled her more than  
she could imagine.... Antithesis.  
  
  
The End of Part Seven  
  
  
  
=^.^= niya  
Sievert Anathea Dienar sievertd@start.com.au 


	8. Intensity part 8

INTENSITY (Part 8) by Sievert Dinar  
  
  
Disclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by a lot of people, most of whom  
are not me, so don't get all worked up about my using the characters  
in ways they weren't meant. I'm just a common or garden fanfic  
writer without a hope in this dark and cruel world. Maybe.  
  
  
TWENTYTHREE YEARS, SIX MONTHS AGO. THE MINISTRY OF FORESIGHT,  
DIRECTOR'S OFFICE.  
  
  
Tolsien Kreschovsky flicked through the birth records of the  
young woman, trying to identify exactly what it was that so  
disturbed him about her. There seemed to be nothing, from the date  
of her birth, to her early childhood and beyond, that could confirm  
a source for this unease. One thing was certain, however.... As  
one of Crystal Tokyo's premier Soothsayers, he had never been wrong  
in his perception of.... threats.... to the established order. And  
despite the fact that this woman was now a member of the now-vast  
army of Senshi, she positively oozed the aura of threat about her.  
  
Tolsien sat back in his harsh wooden chair, taking off his  
glasses from his beaky nose and rubbing his tired eyes. At first he  
had only heard whispers, from high above in the hierachy, about this  
woman... Someone they feared as the 'Antithesis'. At first, he  
wasn't sure just what 'Antithesis' actually meant, in this context,  
but he was certain that the palpable fear that seemed to drive  
Serenity, of all people, to seek his wisdom in this matter, could  
not be vaguely construed as good.  
  
Whispers had long surrounded the reputation of Saturn, as the  
Antithesis. But Saturn had never stood up in defiance of Serenity,  
not at any stage, as long as the Kingdom remained intact. If that  
were to be otherwise, well... nobody really seemed all that keen to  
follow that path to its ultimate conclusion. Pluto remained  
resolute in her assertion that Saturn was NOT the Antithesis, and  
that people were misinterpreting the entire concept, as it was. But  
still, nobody could fully explain just what the concept entailed to  
Tolsien, and it drove him near spare in his efforts to prise what  
little information he could from the obsessively secret members of  
the hierachy.  
  
When he sensed the ominous nature of the young woman, some  
eleven months ago, he automatically presumed that this was what they  
meant... A form of anti-Serenity, born with a charismatic nature  
that could rival and threaten the position of the Queen. But even  
that explanation seemed a tad simplistic. If the hierachy WERE  
frightened, it was because of someone who could complement the  
Queen, on an equal and opposite footing, coming to the same  
conclusions about the destiny of humanity through a different path.  
One of suffering, pain and degradation.... Of a total lack of self  
confidence and self esteem. Of mutilation and madness.  
  
Yet the young woman had only endured a little of these aspects  
within her upbringing. The loss of her parents, her wayward  
emigration to Crystal Tokyo and eventual containment within the  
ranks of the Senshi. There was nothing in her life that could truly  
be described as 'grand scale'. He sighed and closed the record  
book, standing and replacing it in the shelving that sat behind him,  
amidst several volumes of Dessere's 'History of Destiny' series.  
There, he pondered, studying the maroon-coloured series of books,  
his hand resting on the first volume. Auguste Dessere, philosopher  
and staunch advocate of determinism, had lived a short life within  
the early stages of Serenity's reign. Within the last three years  
of his life, he had written the 'History of Destiny' series, using  
the ascension of Serenity as a starting framework.  
  
The series was controversial, to say the least, and had been  
one Tolsien, himself, had been unable to finish. Indeed, he'd  
thrown the third volume against his bedroom wall in disgust after  
reading through the chapters pertaining to the spirit and identity  
of the person Serenity had been before her ascension... Tsukino  
Usagi. He had argued that Serenity's spirit had, in fact, consumed  
that of the Tsukino girl as a means of gaining sufficient power to  
become what she now was. At least, that was how Tolsien had read it  
at the time, and was less than impressed. So he felt a slight sense  
of smugness upon learning of Dessere's suicide, not at all surprised  
that someone so inherently miserable should depart from this world  
with a flourish so dramatic.  
  
He let his hand drop away from the books, turning and  
chuckling to himself. Suicide. A pathetic way to die. He felt no  
sympathy for anyone who chose it. Weak minded and selfish. Like  
his wife of thirty years, after the accident that claimed the life  
of their only child. How could the woman lower herself in such a  
manner?  
  
With a deliberate slowness, he stepped around his desk and  
stared out of the window. For a very long time.  
  
  
  
TWENTY YEARS, EIGHT MONTHS AGO. HARATANE GARDENS, DURING THE  
NIGHT-TIME RIOTS OF THE CULT OF THE DEATH PHANTOM...  
  
  
Kristen was lost, stumbling down the stairway into the low-set  
gardens from the District 29 Mainway. The crowd had been dispersed,  
and she and her Senshi Designate were ordered by the Squad Captains  
to capture as many as was possible. This, of course, meant staying  
with your partner, in case you were cornered by a group of the Death  
Phantom cultists. In theory, of course. In practice, Kimiko went  
one way and she went another, and neither realised they were no  
longer together until they felt that shiver up their spine that told  
them things were not quite right.  
  
Since then, Kristen had been stumbling around the darkness,  
cursing the kinds of dark nastiness that she was going to subject  
Kimiko to when and if she found her, through clenched teeth.  
Although such thoughts had abandoned her as she lay, face forward on  
the cold, wet grass of the gardens, wondering why her stars never  
ever mentioned anything even vaguely close to what would actually  
happen to her. Had she been forewarned, she thought to herself, bed  
would have been a good place to stay.  
  
She picked herself up and brushed the front of her Senshi  
uniform down, pinching her nose at the damp and the grass stains  
that remained there. Still on her knees, she took in her  
surroundings, and was less than enthused about staying. A cold mist  
was wafting through the dimly-lit trees, and she could imagine any  
nature of bogeymen hiding amongst them.  
  
Standing, she turned to start up the steps, and froze. There  
were running footsteps, squelching across the sodden grass of the  
gardens. Running towards her. She turned her head just in time to  
see something that glistened in the light making for her throat.  
Instinctually, she dropped and put out a foot to trip up her  
attacker, which she did rather successfully.  
  
The figure of her attacker, wearing the black robes of the  
Death Phantom Cult, staggered towards the stairway, spinning around  
and letting out a cry as they lost hold of their glinting weapon.  
They then fell back. Atop the weapon. And Kristen watched with  
horrified fascination as it neatly skewered its way through the  
middle of the unfortunate cultist. The figure came to a rest  
against the stairs, their back arched by the handle of the weapon.  
They quivered for a few seconds more, then went still.  
  
Kristen stood, her mouth hanging open in disbelief.  
Nervously, she stepped up to the side of the figure, trying not to  
look at the blade of what was obviously an elaborate kodachi,  
dripping with its grisly deposit. Instead, she concentrated upon  
the figure's face, hidden within the hood of the robe. Kneeling  
down, she placed her left hand against the top of the hood, pulling  
it back. The face was that of a young girl, perhaps no more than  
thirteen or fourteen years old. Her face was frozen in mid-  
expression, in a kind of stunned shock. Kristen had seen the faces  
of the dead before, but she had never seen one so totally evocative  
as this one. Nor so young.  
  
And so she sat there, beside the body of the young girl,  
trying to decide what she would do next. All the way 'til sunrise.  
  
For some odd reason, she found she couldn't move from that  
spot. It seemed important that she stay with the girl until someone  
else arrived. Until someone came to take her away, and relieve her  
of the burden. And they did, eventually, and they gave her a  
sedative to sleep it off over the course of the day. When she came  
to, in the bed she had earlier wished she had never emerged from,  
there was a note of apology from Kimiko sitting on the bedside  
table.  
  
She tore it up.  
  
Then taped it back together.  
  
  
The End of Part Eight  
  
  
  
=^.^= niya  
  
Sievert Anathea Dienar sievertd@start.com.au 


	9. Intensity part 9

INTENSITY (Part 9) by Sievert Dinar  
  
  
Disclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by a lot of people, most of whom  
are not me, so don't get all worked up about my using the characters  
in ways they weren't meant. I'm just a common or garden fanfic  
writer without a hope in this dark and cruel world. Maybe.  
  
  
  
  
TWENTY YEARS, THREE MONTHS AGO. TITAN, ON THE NORTHERN  
CONTINENT OF ALLERMAGNE, LISCHKEINE PENINSULA, PEIRLE BEACH.  
  
  
"These...." Gestured Sailoroberon, the Chief of the Outer  
Division's Flora and Fauna Department. "Are commonly referred to as  
the Titan Sandslug. And indeed, as you can see by their size, the  
name is quite apt."  
  
Kristen rubbed the facemask of her environmental protection  
suit. During familiarisation field trips, such as this, it was  
deemed unnecessary, indeed safer, not to utilise one's senshi  
powers. In this, one of the many front lines of the wars between  
Crystal Tokyo and the Dark Kingdom, any recognisable senshi energy  
signal was likely to bring down a rain of enemy upon a party not  
equipped to deal with such attacks, with the exclusion of their  
tutor, who had the skill to deliberately damp down her powers for  
that purpose. It was always wise to have someone at the ready.  
  
Right at the moment, however, Kristen wished she could rip the  
mask right off, because she was feeling less than her best.  
  
She had heard of the Titan Sandslugs before, but had never  
truly been prepared for their somewhat stomach-churning appearance.  
Large, gray-white piles of throbbing jelly, sitting serenely on the  
rough sandy beach, little tendrils jutting out from their fringes.  
Just one of the things dwarfed the entire party, and there were  
dozens of them all around. Sailoroberon watched Kristen's reaction  
with amusement, as well as the reactions of her other students. "It  
is quite difficult to tell the difference between a mature slug and  
a juvenile one..." She smiled. "Except for one small thing..."  
  
"Zits." Sailoroberon turned to Kimiko, who had been on the  
edge of the party, studying the closest of the slugs with interest.  
"This one has zits all over its hide." Kimiko pointed to a large  
lump in the side of the slug, turning to her tutor.  
  
"Yes, indeed it has. And that, people, is just about the only  
way we have to tell an adult from a juvenile."  
  
"Wouldn't there be a size difference between them?" Fariah  
clasped her fingers together. "I mean, the slugs DO breed, don't  
they?"  
  
"Oh yes, they breed. Yes, indeed. But their early growth  
rate is enormous. They can go from the size of a baseball to what  
you see around you in the space of a week." Sailoroberon allowed  
that to sink in. "And whatever you do, watch where you put your  
feet. They get extremely miffed if you step on one of their  
tendrils. One of these things smothered a party like ours because  
some members thought it would be funny to see if it were possible to  
ride one of them like a horse, using the tendrils like reins.  
Otherwise they can be extremely passive and friendly, if not what  
one could describe as smart."  
  
"Hey!" Kimiko let out a short cry. "The... The zit... is  
wobbling." She stepped back from the lump on the side of the slug.  
"It's getting bigger." Sailoroberon turned back to her and put on  
an evil smile.  
  
"Well, I'd stand well clear if I were you, especially if  
you're in its line of fire."  
  
"Its line of fire?" Kimiko looked over her shoulder at  
Oberon. Within seconds, every member of the party were scattering  
to get away from the lump. Sailoroberon crossed her arms and  
watched as the lump exploded, spurting a stream of fluid across the  
sand. It was over in a matter of seconds as the stream ran down  
like a firehose losing pressure. As it stopped, the gaping hole  
created by the burst was filled in with the flesh that surrounded  
it, sealing it up.  
  
Sailoroberon nodded with satisfaction as her pupils gagged and  
walked away, trying to compose themselves. As they returned,  
stepping well clear of the trail left by the burst, she looked at  
every one of them, trying to keep a straight face. "Now... That  
was a rather good demonstration of one of the hazards with working  
around the sandslugs... Unless you wish to get a face full of gunk,  
don't step too close to the lumps on the hides of the juveniles,  
understand?" There was a low grumble of agreement. Sailoroberon  
clapped her hands together, excitedly. "Now, we're going for a  
short hike up onto the hard ground, where I will show you one of the  
more interesting forms of life to be found here on Titan. The  
Rockhole Puffball."  
  
Suffice to say, everyone groaned. Oberon shrugged. Some  
people just didn't share her love of the native lifeforms of other  
worlds.  
  
  
  
TODAY  
  
  
"That was incredibly irresponsible of you." Venus shouted  
into Kristen's face as the newly recovered Field Marshal sank into  
the thick covers of her futon, staring at the surroundings of her  
unit like seeing it for the first time. In the background, Chibiusa  
was sponging up the last of the water that had spilled from  
Kristen's bath. Venus turned to her, a concerned look on her face.  
"Princess... You don't have to do that. Such menial tasks are for  
the careworkers of the Kingdom, not a member of the royalty."  
  
"Do you see any of those careworkers around you, hmm?"  
Chibiusa huffed as she squeezed water from the sponge into a small  
red bucket, sitting beside her. "What has to be done will be done,  
whether we're supposed to be royalty or not. Besides..." Chibiusa  
looked softly at her old tutor. "At least she's alright." She  
hardened again. "And to leave someone in such a mental state on  
their own... What else did you expect to happen?"  
  
Venus sighed as Kristen giggled inanely behind her. The Field  
Marshal ducked underneath the covers of her futon and started to  
wriggle about, watched by both Venus and Chibiusa. "Guess what I  
am!" She shouted at them. "Come on, guess..."  
  
"At a time like this, playing games." Venus huffed.  
  
"Aww, come on." Kristen huffed and wriggled around a little  
more, making gurgling noises. Chibiusa scratched her head.  
  
"I don't know..." She paused, a finger to her mouth in  
thought. Then she snapped her fingers, smiling. "A Sandslug! A  
Titan Sandslug!"  
  
"That's right!" Kristen cried out, then leapt from the futon,  
cover still over her head, snuffling and sliding across the floor  
like one of the slugs would. Chibiusa giggled.  
  
"Wai! Sandslug-chan." She putout her hands. "Careful, Ms  
Sandslug... It's wet over here." The figure underneath the covers  
paused, then wriggled again, Kristen's head popping out from  
underneath.  
  
"Aww... Ran out of beach." She smiled. "You know, I once  
kept a sandslug as a pet. Found it just after it had hatched.  
Looked after it for a couple of years before I had to let it go."  
She curled up her lower lip. "I called it Kenneth."  
  
"Kenneth?" Chibiusa blinked. "Why Kenneth?"  
  
"Kenneth is a nice name." Kristen sat back, drawing the  
covers around her. "Yes, Kenneth... Poor thing. I wonder where it  
is now..."  
  
"It is probably back in its rightful place on Titan." Venus  
stepped over to Kristen and knelt down beside her. "It was  
shameful, the way you kept that poor slug shut up in the  
conservatory. Damn good thing Serenity passed that law, banning  
the removal of sensitive lifeforms from their native environments."  
  
"Bollocks!" Kristen leered forward, staring into Venus's  
face. "Pure and utter bollocks. That slug was at its happiest in  
the conservatory. The warmth of Earth halted the progress of its  
hide degradation. Back on Titan, out in the open and the cold, its  
probably aged five times faster than it probably could have."  
  
"Titan is where it came from. Its aging as fast as it  
should." Venus poked out her tongue at Kristen, who poked her  
tongue back at her. Chibiusa fell back onto the floor in fits of  
giggles, making them turn to her. Kristen smiled, once more  
disappearing underneath the cover and wriggling forward, her fingers  
jutting out from underneath the edge like little tendrils.  
  
"Here comes the sandslug, going to tickle you." Kristen  
wriggled up to an expectant Chibiusa, pouncing on her and tickling  
her all over as the princess squirmed and wriggled around, cackling  
helplessly. Venus slowly stood, closing her eyes and sighing,  
trying her best to remain the calm and collected member of the trio,  
and reminding herself that that had not always been a natural state  
for her...  
  
  
  
The End of Part Nine  
  
  
  
=^.^= niya  
  
Sievert Anathea Dienar sievertd@start.com.au 


	10. Intensity part 10

INTENSITY (Part 10) by Sievert Dinar  
  
  
Disclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by a lot of people, most of whom  
are not me, so don't get all worked up about my using the characters  
in ways they weren't meant. I'm just a common or garden fanfic  
writer without a hope in this dark and cruel world. Maybe.  
  
  
  
  
TWENTYFIVE YEARS, FIVE MONTHS AGO. A SMALL, TWO STOREY  
BUNGALOW IN DISTRICT 9, OVERLOOKING THE WALL THAT SURROUNDS THE  
ROYAL DISTRICTS. KRISTEN KIRSCHE'S FIRST HOME IN CRYSTAL TOKYO.  
  
  
It was obviously not going to be the kind of day where people  
were going to allow her much in the way of sleep. Even alcohol  
induced, as hers was. She rose from the small, rickety bunk that  
was her bed, throwing off the thin blanket that represented an  
attempt at bedcovers, rubbing her head.  
  
"HOI! KRISTEN! YOU IN THERE? COME ON, I KNOW YOU'RE IN  
THERE!" Each word seemed to be punctuated by the sound of a fist,  
banging against the front door to her first-storey apartment, if one  
could describe it as that. Not caring that she was wearing nothing  
more than a shirt and panties, she stumbled from the bunk and made  
her way to the door.  
  
"Alright... I'm... coming. For Christ's sake, stop that  
banging. My head... hurts." She unlocked the door and threw it  
open, sighing as she came face to face with her neighbor from  
downstairs, Akira. He had moved in shortly after she had, given  
his housing through one of the Palace housing schemes, much as she  
had. In her case, it was for emergency reasons... She hadn't found  
a place by herself, and was spending her nights in the emergency  
shelters before she applied for help. Akira had been given his by  
means of Disability Services. Intellectually disabled, Akira seemed  
to spend much of his time asking her for help, rather than learn  
from the careworkers who would make weekly visits to see if he was  
truly looking after himself. This was one of those moments.  
"Jesus, Akira! What is it THIS time?"  
  
Akira looked down at what she was, or in this case wasn't,  
wearing, then half turned, looking rather shifty and nervous. "It's  
my vcr, Kristen. I tried to program it for the morning anime but I  
couldn't and it doesn't seem to do anything I want it to. Can you  
help me out can you please please please I would be so grateful if  
you could." He rubbed his lower lip against his upper teeth,  
nervously, something that was automatic for him ever since  
corrective surgery to rid him of a cleft palate. They surgery had  
left him with a surprisingly thin bite area with his upper teeth,  
forcing the front teeth forward. Whenever he spoke, and he spoke a  
lot, people would duck for cover due to the amount of spittle that  
would fly in every direction. Embarrassed about this state of  
affairs, Akira would try to compensate by sucking up saliva from  
behind his front teeth with the lower lip.  
  
Kristen sighed, looking away from him as he performed his  
teeth-lip ritual. "How many times this week have I shown you how  
to adjust you vcr, Akira?"  
  
"Umm..." Akira looked down at the landing, as if thinking.  
"I dunno..." Kristen almost laughed as she held up four fingers in  
his face.  
  
"This is the fourth time this week, Akira! The FOURTH time.  
I can't keep doing this for you. I've got my own things to do, you  
know. I'm not on call to fix everything for you." Akira looked up  
at her, hopeful.  
  
"But Ms Kando said that I should ask you for help whenever I  
need it because she can't always be there for me and you are a nice  
person besides I have to go to work in the morning and you're always  
at home sleeping." He paused. "I think I missed my train for work.  
Can you call Mister Takegami and tell him I will be late after you  
fix up my vcr because I don't want to miss the morning anime  
cartoons cos they are fun and I have to fill in my book about what  
happened today because if I don't I'll lose track of all the stories  
and that won't be very good, will it?" To illustrate this point,  
Akira held up a small exercise book, flicking through pages of  
unreadable scrawl. Kristen rubbed her forehead, feeling a little  
frustrated.  
  
"Alright." She huffed, and turned to go back into her  
apartment. Akira made a move to follow her in, before she rounded  
on him. "I SAID ALRIGHT!" He jumped back in surprise, and she put  
up her hands, as much to settle herself as Akira. "Just let me put  
on some jeans and shoes. I bloody well can't wander around in my  
underwear, now can I?"  
  
"That's right." Akira half-smiled, pacing from one foot to  
the next. "Mister Aregame from across the courtyard said it was  
outrageous that a young girl like you should flounce about so much  
in so little clothing and that he was scandalised and thought that  
someone should teach you a lesson and that you weren't a good  
influence because you drink and smoke too much and don't have a job  
and spend all of your day sleeping because you have nothing better  
to do and that in his day everyone had a job..."  
  
"Alright, Akira! That's enough!" Akira went silent, looking  
as if she'd bitten him. "I might not have a job, I might spend all  
my time drinking and sleeping, but at least my life hasn't been one  
stint in prison after another, like Mister Aregame." She reached  
down to the floor, picking up her jeans where she had left them,  
turning them out as she did so and then struggled to get her legs  
into them. "You tell him that. And you tell him that he is even  
worse an influence on people around here." She pulled the jeans  
around her waist, buttoned it and pulled up the zip. "I'm not going  
to sacrifice my pride for the kind of life he's lead. Besides, I  
have every intention of being alive this time next year. With the  
way he runs his life, I'd be surprised if he makes it through to  
this time next week, let alone next month." She huffed. "What do  
you reckon, Akira?"  
  
"I reckon you're right, Miss Kristen. Cos you're prettier  
than he is and all pretty people are good. Just look at Queen  
Serenity, she's REALLY pretty and she does everything that is good.  
I wish I could marry a girl as pretty as she is." His words were so  
totally guile-less that Kristen couldn't help but smile, sadly.  
  
  
  
TODAY  
  
  
"So..." Venus looked around the small loungeroom within  
Kristen's unit, looking for a seat and finding little more than a  
beanbag within her reach. Reluctantly, she placed her rear into its  
folds, half turning to Chibiusa as the princess emptied the last of  
the water, that had run from Kristen's bath during the Field  
Marshal's aquatic activities, from the bucket into the kitchen sink.  
Kristen giggled inanely at the gurgling sound of the water running  
down the plughole, it sounding remarkably like her impression of a  
Titan Sandslug. "Ahem!" Venus cleared her throat, silencing  
Kristen as the Field Marshal put on an expression like a chastened  
child.  
  
"What?" She curled up her lower lip. "I was just laughing  
and stuff. Nothing bad." Kristen huffed, pulling the covers of her  
futon tightly around her form. High enough to cover up the casual  
kimono that both Venus and Chibiusa had dressed her in after  
removing her from the bath. Her long dark hair was still damp and  
tangled, there not having been a chance for the pair to get around  
to drying her properly. She wouldn't sit still for long enough.  
  
"I don't want to have to remind you... Even though you have  
recovered from... whatever it was you recovered from, only within  
the last 24 hours, it does not give you the right to behave like a  
child. You are a member of Crystal Tokyo's elite and an adult.  
Remember that." Venus crossed her arms, nodding sagely as Kristen  
stuck her tongue out at her. "And that's enough of that, thankyou  
very much. It was hard enough for me to have snuck the Princess  
here to see you, at her request. I'll probably be dragged over the  
coals for this..."  
  
"Just because Mama didn't want me to see her." Chibiusa  
dumped the bucket on the kitchen counter. "Mama can be so mean,  
sometimes. I mean, why stick Fomo-chan in a place like this? Why  
not take care of her within the Palace's own sanitarium?"  
  
"Yeah... Eat that, Venus! Biiiiiiida!" Kristen blew a  
raspberry at Venus, waggling her fingers on either side of her head  
with her thumbs in her ears. Venus sweatdropped, sighing as she  
leaned forward, looking exasperated.  
  
"The decision was not made by me. Don't treat me as if I  
wanted things this way. I HAVE to obey the commands of the Queen,  
even if I am, what you would vaguely term as, a friend." Chibiusa  
snorted at this statement.  
  
"VAGUELY term? Mina-chan... You ARE one of her closest  
friends. There would be VERY little she would keep from you."  
Venus squirmed in the beanbag, feeling as if she were on trial.  
  
"That is very easy for you to say. In the current state of  
the kingdom, things are very different between us, compared to the  
way things were back in the old days. Decisions are often made that  
appear questionable at the time, but DO have reasons... purposes.  
The reason... The purpose... for placing Fomalcaut... the Field  
Marshal, out here in the suburbs to convalesce, IS a logical one.  
It's just not KNOWN to me."  
  
"No. I suppose it isn't. Not the FULL explanation, anyway."  
Venus was surprised by Kristen's suddenly serious tone. There was a  
dark expression on the face of the Field Marshal as Kristen looked  
out through the curtains of the front window. "Do you know... My  
thoughts, at the moment, are like a waking dream. I keep thinking  
of things that don't seem to piece together, or make sense to me.  
Maybe its part of what I have experienced... the delirium associated  
with it. But I keep thinking about the dead, and the fact that I'm  
alive. ALIVE!" Kristen leapt from the covers almost violently,  
stunning Venus and Chibiusa as she ran to the front door and threw  
it open, staring out onto the small park and the rail transports,  
rolling past on the lines above. "It isn't much, but at least I'm  
experiencing it. Normality. There is nothing extraordinary about  
this place." She turned to them as Venus stood from the beanbag,  
joining a slightly worried Chibiusa in the middle of the lounge  
area. "Do you remember what that used to be like? To be a normal  
individual, devoid of the responsibilities of power and the glare of  
the masses. Look out there... There is NOBODY at the front  
doorstep, trying to ogle us with their wonder and intimidation,  
making a spectacle out of simple people. Can you remember how long  
it has been since you've experienced that?"  
  
"I dunno..." Venus scratched the back of her head. "There  
were a lot of people staring at us on the way here. They all KNEW  
who we were, but weren't willing to vocalise it, I'm sure."  
Chibiusa tugged on the side of Venus's dress.  
  
"I understand what she is saying. Perhaps that is why Mama  
put her out here... To remove her from the intensity of the public  
gaze." Venus watched as Chibiusa stepped over to her old sensei's  
side, staring out of the door at the park. "It's not the same as  
the parks back in the 20th century, when I visited it, but it IS a  
park." Chibiusa took Kristen's hand, taking her sensei by surprise,  
and drew her out through the doorway and across the walk, into the  
park. Kristen felt the grass underneath her bare feet and smiled as  
Chibiusa lead her to the sole seat within the park.  
  
Venus stood in the doorway, watching as Chibiusa stared at the  
sky, the darkish clouds that filled it flying past at a great rate  
without dumping their cargo of rain. Slowly, she guided Kristen  
onto the seat, then sat next to her. Venus shivered for a moment,  
closing her eyes, then left the unit, following their footsteps.  
  
  
The End of Part Ten  
  
  
  
=^.^= niya  
  
Sievert Anathea Dienar sievertd@start.com.au 


	11. Intensity part 11

INTENSITY (Part 11) by Sievert Dinar  
  
  
Disclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by a lot of people, most of whom  
are not me, so don't get all worked up about my using the characters  
in ways they weren't meant. I'm just a common or garden fanfic  
writer without a hope in this dark and cruel world. Maybe.  
  
  
  
  
TWENTYFIVE YEARS, FIVE MONTHS AGO. A SMALL, TWO STOREY  
BUNGALOW IN DISTRICT 9, OVERLOOKING THE WALL THAT SURROUNDS THE  
ROYAL DISTRICTS. KRISTEN KIRSCHE'S FIRST HOME IN CRYSTAL TOKYO.  
  
  
Night was very rarely pretty in this particular section of the  
Royal Districts. Within the very heart of Crystal Tokyo, the Royal  
Districts housed absolutely everything to do with the governance  
and culture of the kingdom, including those who worked within the  
departments and other institutions.  
  
The Royal Districts were also known as the Zero Prefecture, or  
more commonly Ground Zero, either representing their importance or  
the ease with which the Royal Echelons could be wiped out, by any  
potential enemy, with just one weapon. The latter was more of a  
darkly cynical joke, passed down by many who lived within the  
region, since the monumental and edific nature of the district  
inspired often anarchistic thoughts in those who HAD to be there.  
  
There were, however, portions of the Zero Prefecture that  
contained relics of the old city of Tokyo, mostly within the outer  
fringes of Districts 8 and 9, the last to be fully remodeled.  
Behind the huge facades of the Economic Zone's towers were apartment  
blocks, packed to capacity with those less fortunate members of the  
society. The crumbling, crusty drudgery of this area was something  
of an embarrassment to the ruling elite, but with typical finesse,  
they managed to accept it through the maxim of out of sight, out of  
mind. Even to those who lived in the neighboring districts, on the  
other side of the Prefecture wall, it was, mostly, invisible. The  
ability of the city's designers to work things the way people wanted  
them had earned them many awards, none of which were presented to  
those whose place it was to be so well hidden.  
  
Kristen Kirsche had, by means of aid and housing assistance,  
found herself living within the drudgery of District 9, although she  
was yet to decide whether her apartment's facing away from the  
towers of the Economic Zone was a blessing or a curse. She  
certainly knew that, at certain times of the day, they blocked out  
the sunlight. At least, with her slightly skewed sleeping pattern,  
it didn't matter to her so much, since there wasn't anything worth  
doing during the daylight hours, anyway. Only at night did she  
bother to emerge, and then only to frequent the bars and clubs that  
were actually built to entertain those who worked in the Economic  
Zone. Occasionally, she found someone interested in sleeping with  
her, who would be willing to pay her tab, her mind attempting to  
reject the notion that it was only a few steps away from out and out  
prostitution. At least the beds were more comfortable, and her  
partners better groomed.  
  
She staggered up the flight of metal stairs that lead to the  
landing outside the front door of her apartment, shivering as she  
rifled through the pocket of her coat for her keys. Akira was still  
awake in the apartment below... she'd have to tell his careworkers,  
when they came around next, about his tendency to stay up late at  
nights, watching television. With the thin-ness of the walls and  
floors in the small courtyard complex it was quite disturbing to be  
able to pick out exactly what your neighbor is watching by  
listening to the show. Even if you don't bother to watch much  
television, yourself.  
  
She only had a small flatscreen multisystem. A twelve inch  
crystal screen with network capacity, but it cost to use it, so she  
didn't bother. It sat, looking idle and forlorn, in the far corner  
of the main room, almost beckoning her to reach out and make contact  
with the world. Having experienced a great deal of what the world  
had to offer her, she didn't know if that was such a good thing.  
Still, it rankled her to know that Akira had a Copland KN50 forty  
inch diamante... She doubted very much that he had any idea how to  
use its network abilities. It seemed something of a waste, but he  
never used anything more than its broadcast functions, and that WAS  
his sole interest. Her interests lay elsewhere. She wasn't sure  
where, but she knew they weren't there.  
  
She gently eased the key into its lock as drips of rain  
started to fall upon the landing. She looked up into the glow of  
the night sky, the city lights illuminating the thick, dark clouds  
with an almost heavenly glow, and took a breath as the rain fell  
against her face. She smiled and closed her eyes, allowing the  
moisture to cool her alcohol-induced heat, then turned back to the  
door as the rain became heavier. With concentration, she managed to  
turn the key and open the door, one after the other in quick  
succession, which surprised her a little as she staggered through  
into the main room, having to regain her balance. She turned back  
and pulled the key from the lock, kicking the door shut afterward.  
  
She fell back against the door and slid down onto the floor,  
giggling slightly. She'd forgotten to switch the light on, so she  
couldn't see anything, and oddly enough she seemed to want it that  
way. This wasn't always the case. Moments of darkness only seemed  
to induce visions of her dead parents, and they were, on occasion,  
the last two people on the face of the Earth she wanted to see as  
phantoms of the past. Now phantoms of the future, that was another  
thing... And she'd been seeing a few of those lately, although she  
would have a little trouble trying to discern them from the delirium  
tremens. Right now, she was seeing nothing of the sort, so that was  
alright. Whether anything appeared later was questionable.  
  
  
Rain fell heavily upon the roof, its dull roar managing to  
block out all but the most definite of sounds from Akira's unit.  
She placed a hand to her face and wiped away the rain, muttering to  
herself a private argument about whether she should get into bed, or  
fall asleep right there. Displaying one last vestige of  
intelligence, she got onto her hands an knees and crawled up onto  
the small, but often uncomfortable, bunk and collapsed face forward,  
grumbling and groaning as soon as her head hit the pillow.  
  
"Kristen..." The soft voice bounced off the wall beside the  
bed, and she opened her eyes. It was loud enough to be heard over  
the noise of the rain, yet seemed nothing more than a whisper. And  
it came from the WITHIN the room, that much she was sure of.  
  
She half-rolled, facing the wall, and placed a hand to her  
chest, cold fear clearing away the cobwebs of drunkenness.  
"Kristen..." The voice repeated. She wondered if someone had  
broken into her house and was waiting for her... But they knew her  
name.. Had to be someone she knew. The bastard from across the  
courtyard, maybe, finally come to get his piece of her? She  
clenched her right fist against uncontrollable shivers and tensed  
her entire body. Well, if that was what he was hear for, he was  
going to get a lot more out of her than he bargained...  
  
She spun around, throwing herself to her feet and lifting  
back her right fist, ready to strike. And then she stopped in her  
tracks. "Kristen..." Said Death as it stared down at her, holding  
the blade of its scythe in her direction...  
  
  
  
TWENTY YEARS, THREE MONTHS AGO. TITAN, ON THE NORTHERN  
CONTINENT OF ALLERMAGNE. RIDULUS BASE.  
  
  
"Dya hear about that guy in Crystal Tokyo.... The one who  
fell from the balcony of the Queen's quarters?" Kimiko's whispered  
voice had an almost shrill note to it, helped, undeniably, by the  
structure of the metallic walls surrounding the small group of  
trainee senshi. Kristen folded her arms behind her head as she  
stared up at the base of the bunk above her, trying to ignore what  
Kimiko was saying, since Kimiko, despite being a close friend,  
rarely had anything to say that wasn't some form of scuttlebutt.  
  
"I heard about that." Another girl, looking down from her  
bunk at Kimiko, in the half-light of the dormitory room. "They said  
he was screaming in terror before he leapt from the balcony."  
  
"Who said?" Kristen. sighed. The girl turned to her.  
  
"I dunno. It's just what I heard." She seemed to be a little  
hurt by Kristen's demand. Kristen shook her head and turned away.  
  
"It's just a story. Some guy fell from the Queen's balcony.  
Accidents happen." The girl huffed and sat up, crossing her arms.  
  
"Who was the guy, anyway?" The girl, lying on the bunk  
underneath the first, queried. "I mean, was he anybody important."  
  
"He was some soothsayer guy.... You know.... One of the  
court who tries to predict the future, using records and items of  
peoples' past lives." Kimiko clapped her hands together. "Who  
knows what he saw that made him so frightened as to leap from the  
balcony."  
  
"Probably his career going down the tubes." Kristen snorted.  
"He should have seen it coming."  
  
"Why do you have to spoil everything, Kris? This is serious  
stuff. There is going to be an inquest into his death." The first  
girl huffed. Kristen turned to her, sitting up.  
  
"Well of COURSE there is going to be an inquest. You don't  
think they'd let people go leaping from the Queen's balcony without  
having one, now do you?" Kristen rolled her eyes. "What was this  
guy's name, anyway?"  
  
"Tolsien Kreschovsky, I think." Kimiko licked her lips after  
half spitting the name all over the room. Kristen froze, a cold  
feeling entering her chest.  
  
"Tolsien...." She swallowed. Kimiko looked at her,  
inquiringly.  
  
"Did you know him?" Kristen turned to Kimiko upon the  
question, paused, then responded.  
  
"I met him once or twice. Not formally or anything."  
  
"Scary." The first girl held her hands up to her chest.  
"It's really scary when this kind of thing gets so close to you.  
  
  
Kristen turned away once more, laying her head down on the  
pillow, clutching at her chest, trying to calm her fear. Death was  
out there, following her as if fascinated. Fascinated by WHAT,  
however, was the question....  
  
  
The End of Part Eleven  
  
  
  
=^.^= niya  
  
Sievert Anathea Dienar sievertd@start.com.au 


End file.
